[jac]

Yes its true Robbie was a bit of a filanderer:D but remember that the cottage at Ayr is only his birthplace.. he left there as an infant and he used horses in later life…. 30 years after his father tried market gardening at Ayr. Hand digging is perhaps an option but it would be a huge task as he was trying to grow enough to sell also..Perhaps we will never know for sure.. its just another avenue of thought in my ever inquisitive mind…
John

[jac]

Hi Ixy.. yes the highlands are totaly diferent from south west Scotland.. the highlands were more a grazing society. The area im talking of is the lowlands and was more cropping and grazing. Robert Burns father was a poor market gardener who I doubt could afford a horse in the 1740s but the national trust are keen to play up the Clydesdale horse connection which will be historicly incorrect… but then a lot of folks think Mel Gibsons version of events are true:rolleyes:..
John

[jac]

Yep Scotland has invented pretty much everything :D.. Bivol is right when he says a lot of shakers and movers in agriculture were Scottish . Oliver was born in Selkirk but moved to the US and the rest is history… The west of Scotland was the last to change from oxen to horses and from horses to tractor.. mostly i think because of the smaller farms and perhaps the wetter climate.. Maine certainly sounds like the west of Scotland Mitch..
John

[jac]

Thanks everybody… thats the trouble with being away from this forum for any length of time dl… i miss all the good bits.. Bivol how do you find all these nuggets of info.. thanks and I will keep you posted on how it pans out…
John

[jac]

Mitch I know this wont help you one little bit this time but in Sam Moore’s book “implements for horse farmers” there is a mention of an attatchment called a weed rod.. i think thats what it said .. my copy of the book is at Kilmarnock College.. It was a rod that hung down from the frame and trailed in front of the mold board and pushed the tall stuff down in front of the turning soil.. absolutly useless for you now but mabey worth a try next time….best of luck and try not to loose the old temper:D..
John

[jac]

A well written article.. but that whole web site is pretty awwsome !!!
John

[jac]

My grandmother always said that you couldnt be too clean with the recepticals for milk.. This seems to point to the small producers with healthy cows and spotless practices as opposed to big factories with pipelines a mile long as being the best option… are all those joints in those pipelines not a collecting point for bacteria ??.. it was pointed out earlier that perhaps knowing that pasturisation is the norm that mabey its a case of ” oh well the pasturiser will get it ” and standards slip… Im sure there were farmers in the old days that were less than clean too but we live in a much more enlightened time now and im thinking the big factories are definately not the way to go with a food like milk !!..and even so it still seems mad that tobbaco is so socialy acceptable but folks make a face at the thought of raw milk…
John

[jac]

Thanks guys.. that was what i was thinking too. The people at the Centre are under the impression that the Clydesdale horse was used ?!? but the closest horse to a Clyd at that point in history was a Highland Garron… It would be great to find some evidence but because Burns wasnt famous at that time there is little written records..
John

[jac]

Hey Marhall.. that is a handy looking pony you have there !! sounds as if your half way there already, and a great way to spend family time into the bargain.. best of luck with her.
John

[jac]

So how does the homoginization proccess work then ?? I know the principle is to seperate the cream off and then attach a partical of cream to milk again in the proportion that the producer thinks the public should be allowd… but what kind of machinery is involved ??…
John

[jac]

We had a visit from a friend today who is 8 months pregnant. I brought up the subject of her grandfathers house cow and she told me her midwife told her not to drink the milk !!!:eek:.. think I need to get a meeting with my local member of parliment and kick ass…
John

[jac]

I know im miles behind on this but iv been away… would a bigger diameter disc of 24″ help…. would it pull easier because of the bigger dia and do away with the need for ballast ??..
John

[jac]

Well said Matthew.. I agree on the rugs as well. As i always say.. it works for me. My Clydes do a small amount of tar work and a lot of field work and their feet stay in good condition but I am on a rasp near enough every week. I still think its amazing that those wild mustangs can roam over 20 miles a day and have great feet..
John

[jac]

Marshall I know this is going to sound trivial but bear with me;)… Flip a coin.. heads you go.. tails you dont.. before that coin hits the ground you will know what your going to do and you wont even need to check what side came up.. Good luck with the mare and keep us posted..
John

[jac]

Hi Marshall . Sounds as if the girl has made great progress with the mare. From my point of view a lot depends on how much time you have, if family can help out and tho it may sound hard.. how expensive horses are in your area. Horses are usually very forgiving…And last but most important.. what future has the mare got if you dont go ?? I would take her on. If you do go dont forget the camera:)…
John

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